Baby Shower Trends for 2013 : It’s Time for a Change! Every mom-to-be deserves a day of fun with her closest friends and family. But when most people think of baby showers- we envision boring games, heavy artless foods and a just girls gathering on a Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, those yawn-filled showers of the past are finally receiving a much-needed refresh and we’ve gathered some of the most the stylish baby shower trends for 2013 and beyond! Think : hip mom+ {cool guests}= lets get the party started! And the really cool part? You can integrate all of these super stylish baby shower trends for 2013 into your shower- pick and choose to create a fab style!

Stylish Baby Shower Trends for 2013

Although traditional baby showers will never go out of style, hostesses are beginning to to put a new spin on baby showers with trendy new fads that surely will not be going out of style any time soon. You’ll still want to match the personality of the mommy-to-be when planning the baby shower but it’s easy to incorporate the new with the old when planning your baby shower in 2013. To start you off, BabyShowerStuff has some basics for the Hostess- the who, when where sort of things as well as a free checklist to keep you on track for scheduling. Next step- let’s get sassy!

Baby Shower Trend for 2013 #1: Gender Reveal Shower

One of the hottest baby shower trends in 2013 is the gender reveal party- it is truly is all the rage these days. Imagine a party where your family and friends gather to celebrate the arrival of the newest addition to your family….and in one dramatic moment, everyone discovers if the nursery will be painted pink or blue. Not for the weak at heart {or the moms and dads to be who do not want to be in the spotlight when finding out their baby’s sex} the gender reveal shower theme trend adds a vicarious if not voyeuristic thrill in seeing someone’s life change so drastically, so suddenly.

How it works: As a baby shower trend for 2013, the gender reveal party requires early planning. Parents-to-be have to keep the baby’s gender a secret from friends and family. At the 20 week mark, the ultrasound technician will write the sex down on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. That envelope gets handed to the baker who then bakes either a pink cake or blue cake depending on whether the baby is a girl or a boy. The cake then gets covered in white frosting until the pink or blue cake is completely hidden. The fun and exciting moment arrives when everyone finds out the gender at the same time as the new mom and dad cut into the cake to discover whether they are welcoming a boy or girl! And you dont have to stop at a cake for the reveal- confetti, streamers, cases of balloons, pinatas- there are so many options for the actual reveal. PARENTS magazine has a great checklist for planning the gender reveal baby shower, and HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS offers some creatively fab ways to reveal the baby’s sex to the parents. Just click on the pink links to go to either site. Just be unique! Think about getting creative with the reveal by filling a giant box with pink or blue colored helium balloons for a dramatic way to share the big news. Or, get custom-printed scratch-off cards. Each guest can feel like a winner as they scratch off their cards to expose the new baby’s gender. Whatever you do, it will surely be a hit!

Stylish Baby Shower Trends for 2013 #2 : The Man Shower

Baby shower trends for 2013 feature men {yes, the boys are now welcome} attending the shower and feeling included in the merriment. They’re being called dadchelor parties, man showers or daddymoons but bottom line? Dad-to-be is about to experience the same life altering changes as Mom- so a little bit of male bonding may just be the thing he needs! Besides, Mom’s bump has been getting all the attention for the past 7-8 months- why shouldn’t Dad be the center of attention for a day too? But in this new and improved scenario for the boys, dont expect them to sit around playing baby shower games and reveling in the onesies being unwrapped. Invite the guys {their pass to get in is a simple gift of diapers}- set up a BBQ in the backyard along with the requisite poker table and viola- Dad-to-be has his day in the spotlight too! The upside? Think: enough diapers to last you months and months!

Stylish Baby Shower Trends for 2013 #3 : Scrapbooking Shower

If you’ve ever spent time pretending to enjoy “Guess what’s in the diaper” or “Baby Bingo,” you’ll be happy to hear {as am I} that the baby shower game trend is no longer obligatory! Don’t get me wrong… I love babies. I love talking about pregnancy. I love sharing in the joy of a friend who’s expecting. But guessing the contents of a faux dirty diaper is where the love really gets tested beyond measure. In 2013, another hot baby shower trend involves focusing on the intent of the shower- a day of fun which produces a gift that will be treasured for years to come … Enter scrapbooking.

A fun and creative project for a baby shower is to create a “Baby Book” scrapbook for the expecting mother to help her document the first year of the family’s life together. Perfect for a new Mom, who will be uber busy with her new baby , scrapbooking can easily take the place of games- and everyone gets to interact while creating their own special pages for the book. Both BabyZone and FavorFavorBaby have great step by step tutorials for hosting a scrapbooking baby shower- be sure to check them out! DisneyBaby has some great content suggestions for scrapbooks themselves.

We found some AWESOME freebies out there too! Each of these free scrapbooking page links can be downloaded ahead of time to reduce the cost to guests and add a touch of sweetness to your baby shower!

Stylish Baby Shower Trends for 2013 #4 : Lets go Retro

We’ve watched as retro inspired patterns have made their way into home furnishings, clothes, weddings and pretty much everything you can conjure. Baby shower trends for 2013 are incorporating retro colors and patterns too. {Think kiwi greens, soft browns, and ruddy, earth tones, diagonal stripes, plaids and bold dynamic textures.} These colors and styles that were big with the baby boomers 40+ years ago convey an optimistic, safe & simple feeling. Yet they are bold & dynamic colors and patterns, which is a perfect union between the traditional 1950’s ideals and the emerging 21st century sensations. Bright & fun, with sharp, clean patterns. Simple but very sweet! Banners, bunting, striped straws, washi tapes- the list goes on and on. Include natural textures from your childhood- burlap and cotton balls, add trendy patterns like stripes and chevrons, and you have yourself a reto theme that cant miss. Some ideas an inspirations…

Baby Shower Trends for 2013: Decorations and more

While we’re on the decorations theme, baby shower trends for 2013 dictate creativity in decor. Simple and yet creative decorations instantly create whatever atmosphere that you are looking for. Make cute decorations by using baby items that can also double as gifts, such as bouquets for centerpieces that are made out of baby socks or diapers. Washcloth lollipops, fruits carved as strollers, cupcake bars with sweet poems, sweetly hung bunting, and lots pretty color coordinating fresh flowers are easy and inexpensive ways to create an enchanting backdrop for your baby shower. Imagine hanging a clothesline across the room and in the shower hanging cute onesies, baby socks or small articles of clothing. Create a tree of well wishes for the parents to be- allowing guests to write their personal wishes for the family and hang them from the branches.

Baby Shower Trends for 2013: Invitations

Last but not least, we wanted to provide you with some great invitation options! Here is a collection of some of the designs created by the collaborators on partysimplicity.com. Browse through the invites and see if one inspires you- click on the links to get a better view or to purchase. And as always, HAPPY PARTIES!!

Sandy Buckley is a graphic designer, blogger and owner of NOTEDOCCASIONS.COM, an online site catering to everyone who loves having a party. Focused on custom wedding suites, Sandy also designs everything from custom graduation announcements to trendy holiday party invitations – with each design being handcrafted out of love and with an eye for detail. She also has a shop on ETSY to attend to the DIY crowd who wants fun designs but would much rather print at home. Thank you for visiting and let us know if there’s a topic you’d like to see covered! Happy Parties!